Have Archaeologists Discovered the Tomb of King Tut's Wife?

A documentary on the dig for the body of Ankhesenamun who 'married her father, her grandfather AND her half-brother' could reveal new clues. Radar scans of the area detected a possible tomb entrance buried underground. Researchers are keeping tight-lipped about what they have found so far. Discovery Channel has 'exclusive' access to film the excavations, which suggests a discovery may have been made.

Since January 2018, a team of about 100 Egyptian workers has been excavating an area in the Western Valley of the Valley of the Kings that may contain an undiscovered tomb.

However, the Discovery Channel, which is funding the research, has released a photo of these excavations taking place in an area where a radar reading suggests a tomb entrance is located.

Previous excavations in the area had revealed four foundation deposits that contained pottery, flint blades and the skull of a cow. Deposits like these were often buried by the ancient Egyptians before they began construction of a tomb, archaeologists say. Additionally, radar scans near those deposits showed a structure that may be the entrance to a tomb.

The deposits are located near the tomb of Ay, a pharaoh who succeeded Tutankhamun. After King Tut's death, his wife, Ankhesenamun, remarried Ay, and archaeologists have speculated that if an undiscovered tomb is present, it could belong to her. Ay ruled immediately after King Tut, from 1327 to 1323 BC. Ankhesenamun was the third child of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Nefertiti and was born in around 1348 BC. She was the half sister and cousin of Tutankhamun, with the pair sharing the same father. The queen is said to have married King Tut when he took the throne at the age of nine, when she was just a few years older. After their marriage the pair changed their names in honor of the old monotheistic religion that they reverted back to. She was originally called Ankhesenpaaten, but her change of name reflects changes in Ancient Egyptian religion during her lifetime.

Some records suggest she married her grandfather after the death of King Tut.Others say that she was briefly the wife of her father beforehand.

Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist and former Egyptian antiquities minister who is leading the excavations said that he cannot comment publicly about what his team has found at this time. In Egypt,archaeologists often wait until the antiquities ministry gives them permission to announce a discovery.